Kyle Sharp

Case details

Kyle Sharp was sentenced to death on April 7, 1997.

Background

Nine-year-old Brandon Coughlin became worried after his mother, the motel manager, did not return after he heard a woman screaming, a door slamming, and footsteps pounding in the room above at the Sands Motel in Wilcox. After Brandon was unable to find his mother, he wandered over to a nearby Circle K where the clerk noticed him in distress. The clerk called the police.

The offence

Police went to the Sands Motel. They found Brandon Coughlin’s mother on the bathroom floor of Kyle Sharp’s room after she had been sodomized and strangled to death. Kyle Sharp was found lying on the bed fully clothed except for shoes, faking unconsciousness. Kyle Sharp strangled the victim so hard that the bone at the base of her tongue was broken. The victim suffered two tears in her anus, which had semen inside it, while she was conscious.

Investigation

The police responded after being called by the Circle K clerk who noticed Brandon Coughlin in distress.

Trial

The trial proceedings included:

• Presiding Judge: Matthew W. Borowiec
• Prosecutor: Chris M. Roll and Vincent J. Festa
• Start of Trial: June 25, 1996
• Verdict: July 2, 1996

Sentencing

Sentencing occurred on April 7, 1997. The court found aggravating circumstances of “Especially heinous, cruel, or depraved.” The court found mitigating circumstances of “Some degree of personality or antisocial personality disorder.”

Appeals

The case included published opinions: State v. Sharp , 193 Ariz. 414, 973 P.2d 1171 (1999).

Outcome